"The object-homo-erotic, on the other hand, is uncommonly tormented by the consciousness of his own abnormality; sexual intercourse never completely satisfies him; he is tortured by qualms of conscience and overestimates his sexual object to the uttermost.
"The subject-homo-erotic is a member of the intermediate sex, in the sense of Magnus Hirschfeld and his followers. The object-homo-erotic, is the victim of an obsessional neurosis."
The distinction between active and passive homosexuals is convenient but slightly arbitrary. Certain homosexuals are at times passive and at times active. Both types become at times the victims of obsessions and seek the help of psychotherapists. Active as well as passive homosexuals may be married and heterosexually potent.
The Homosexual Neurosis. Dr. Wilhelm Stekel of Vienna calls homosexualism the homosexual neurosis. He summarises the genesis of homosexualism as follows:
"As a child the homosexual is very precocious sexually and can only repress his cravings by developing fear, hatred and disgust at the thought of heterosexual relations. The result of that repression is a flight from normal into abnormal forms of sexual gratification."
A Safety Device. To Adler, homosexualism is a detail of the neurotic picture, a compromise and a safety device.
"Every neurotic," he writes, "experiences at some time during his childhood doubts as to whether he will ever attain complete virility. Giving up the hope of being a real man, is, for a child, synonymous with being a woman. This carries in its wake a whole cycle of childish valuations: aggression, activity, power, freedom, wealth, sadism are male attributes; inhibitions, cowardice, obedience, poverty are female attributes.
"The child plays for a while a dual part, being submissive to his parents and teachers but indulging in dreams which express his craving for independence, freedom and importance.
"This duality in the child's psyche, the forerunner of a split in his consciousness, can have varying results in later years. The individual will oscillate between the male and the female poles with a constant striving toward the unification of those two tendencies.
"The masculine component prevents a complete assumption of the feminine rôle, the feminine component is an obstacle to complete virility. Hence a compromise: feminine behavior thru masculine means: a timid submissive male, masculine masochism, homosexuality. Or masculine behavior thru feminine devices."